GEF approves $372 million in funding to tackle environmental challenges worldwide

Thirty-six new programs and projects from the GEF family of funds will benefit 59 countries, including 21 Small Islands Developing States and 21 Least Developed Countries. PHOTO/GEF.

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

newshub@eyewitness.africa

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced the approval of more than $372 million in new funding to implement 36 innovative programs and projects aimed at addressing urgent environmental challenges across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

These projects span the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).

The new initiatives approved at the funds’ Council meetings are designed to protect and manage hundreds of millions of hectares of critical ecosystems, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and empower civil society and Indigenous Peoples to deliver sustainable, inclusive environmental solutions. The funding package allocates $291 million from the GEF Trust Fund, $49 million from the LDCF, $3 million from the SCCF, and $29 million from the GBFF.

View all projects approved by the GEF Council here.

These investments will support integrated responses to biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, with a special focus on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; protection and sustainable management of marine habitats; reduction of mercury and persistent organic pollutants; and the advancement of regenerative agriculture and landscape restoration. The initiatives will also foster policy coherence and integrated planning across government, promoting improved environmental outcomes.

The projects approved since July 2022 are expected to mobilize $8.50 in co-finance for every GEF dollar overall, including $8.1 billion from private sources. Blended finance operations are set to achieve a 19-to-1 co-financing ratio, highlighting the catalytic role of GEF grant resources in mobilizing public and private capital at scale.

The Council meetings this week emphasized the central role of civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples and local communities in shaping initiatives and delivering results on the ground, particularly through GBFF programming that incorporates community stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, and rights-based approaches. Projects funded by the LDCF and SCCF showcase how ecosystem restoration, inclusive governance, and community empowerment can build resilience in highly vulnerable Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

The GEF Council also announced the departure of GEF Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodríguez following his notification that he will step down from GEF leadership effective immediately. The GEF Council has appointed Claude Gascon, GEF Director of Strategy and Operations as interim CEO.

During the LDCF/SCCF Council, contributors announced new pledges totaling nearly $39 million in additional support for the funds, reflecting continued donor confidence in the GEF’s adaptation financing. Contributions from Belgium (EUR 5.95 million), Germany (EUR 10 million), Ireland (EUR 5 million), and Sweden (SEK 130 million) will help scale country-driven resilience solutions in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Claude Gascon was appointed as interim CEO by the GEF Council during its 70th session in December 2025. PHOTO/GEF.

Representatives of the GEF’s 186 member countries reviewed progress toward 2022-2026 targets, focusing on delivery, efficiency, and inclusive partnerships. According to the latest Monitoring Report, in the past four years, the GEF has cumulatively mitigated over one billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to taking about 217 million cars off the road for a year.

It also supported conservation and sustainable management of 118 million hectares of protected areas on land, an area twice the size of Kenya and placed 15 million hectares of land and ecosystems under restoration and brought 44 million hectares of production landscapes under sustainable land management and eliminated 60,000 tonnes of chemicals of global concern that pose a major risk to human health.

“The progress made towards achieving our targets reflects an unprecedented record of delivery, scale, and ambition,” said Claude Gascon, GEF Director of Strategy and Operations. “The GEF’s demonstrated efficiency, effectiveness and ambitious modernization efforts position us to be the preferred vehicle to scale up funding and impact.”

Looking ahead to the next funding cycle (GEF-9), set to begin in July 2026, the meeting highlighted proposals aimed at making the process even more streamlined and effective. The efforts are part of a larger push to boost efficiency, fairness, flexibility, and accessibility throughout the GEF partnership.

These initiatives are currently under discussion among donor countries and partners as part of the ongoing GEF replenishment negotiations for GEF-9. The current four-year cycle (GEF-8) totaling $5.3 billion for grants and blended finance ends in June 2026. The next round of negotiations will take place January 19-20 in Bonn, Germany.

The process will culminate at the Eighth GEF Assembly in Uzbekistan in June 2026, where stakeholders will take stock of progress and set the direction to 2030. The Assembly will showcase how the new funding will accelerate progress on biodiversity conservation, land restoration, reduction of chemical pollution, and climate resilience by transforming key economic systems to achieve sustainable and lasting results at scale.